Connecting blocks for telephone systems are used in a variety of locations and the design of any particular block depends upon its use. For use in central office locations, connecting blocks comprise a housing carrying a terminal support member through which a matrix of electrical terminals extends. Incoming conductor wires extend to the terminals on one face, i.e. the rear face, of the support member and outgoing conductor wires extend from the terminals at the other or front face. A problem which existed with obtaining working access to the terminals on both faces of the support member has been solved with a connecting block as described in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,371, entitled "Connecting Block" in the names of G. Debortoli and H. H. Lukas, reissue date Aug. 23, 1977. As described in that patent, the support member is pivotally positioned upon a housing to enable it to be located with either the front or the back faces facing forwardly for ease of working access to both ends of the terminals.
The structure described in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,371 includes a cover for the front face of the support member in the normal use position of the block. Guides are provided for outgoing wires to lead them from the front face to the rear of the housing and hence to a framework which carries a group of connecting blocks and conveys the incoming and outgoing wires to individual blocks. These guides are provided at one side of the support member, i.e. extending between front and rear faces, and this side and one edge of the cover also provide cooperating latching parts for holding the cover in a closed position. The structure of the cover and support member are such that the guides and latching parts are bulky. This, together with a hinge arrangement for the cover adjacent another and remote side of the support member, restrict the possible terminal matrix regions of the support member so that, for a given frontal area of the block, e.g. approximately 8 inches.times.4 inches, only two hundred terminals can be carried by the support member.
It would be advantageous that for a given frontal area of the block, more terminals could be carried by the support member.